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Brazil Voids Merck Patent On AIDS Drug
JoeBackward writes "Merck has this useful anti-AIDS drug Elfavirenz, and Brazil has lots of poor people with AIDS. So, after trying really hard to get Merck to cooperate on pricing, the Brazilian government has decided to take a 'compulsory license' to the patent, and get the drug from a factory in India. This compulsory license is basically a way to take the patent by eminent domain." This move gives Brazil one more thing in common with Thailand, both of which have blocked YouTube. Thailand's compulsory licensing of Elfavirenz and Plavix has landed the country on the US's watch list for piracy.
We put prices on such things all the time. Humanity has lost on this one. Where do you think the research for the next AIDS drug will come from?
As cruel as you apparently think capitalism is, it's more cruel to take away the motivation to do the research. Ironically, if Brazilians could just keep it in their pants, AIDS would disappear in a generation. But no, apparently it's more fair in your opinion to take from a company that's trying to help people.
Maybe doctors and nurses shouldn't be paid either--I mean shouldn't they be helping for free?
As cruel as capitalism seems to you, it's less cruel than any other economic system.
This is a drop in the bucket for Brazil's budget. By satisfying their short term budget needs, they have seriously jeopardized the incentive of pharmaceutical companies to produce useful drugs over the long term.
Yes, because it didn't cost anything to do all the tons and tons of research and testing (not to mention the cost of education for all the scientists) to produce the drug.
This is why I hate slashdot. It's full of communist bastards who think that just because they want something that they have a right to take it by force. Without capitalism, that drug wouldn't exist.
Go ahead, mod me down for standing up for freedom. You'll only prove my point.
I'm not going to waste the time reading up on who did the research (because it doesn't matter), but if you want to bitch about "stealing money" the better question is "Why should the US government be allowed to steal from taxpayers to pay for this research for a disease that is easily prevented by not doing things that can cause it?"
You want to do your part to stop the spread of AIDS? It's really simple. Don't shoot up or screw everyone you meet. If you're going to have sex, make sure they're clean AND that you use a condom.
I also love how I get modded a troll for standing up for freedom. Fuckin-a man! I've already had my account banned for 6 months before, lets see if I can do it again for standing up to the masses of asses.
So you'd be in favor of abolishing patent monopolies doled out by government and restoring a free market then?
Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That's funny. Please pull out a reference for how my tax dollars paid for that. (If you want to see a ref. for my $1e9, check up a couple of posts, I don't feel like re-entering the links).
Are you refering to how industries use the output of Universitie's basic research in their drug discovery efforts? Perhaps you're not aware, but Universities have become the biggest IP thugs there are out there. Any drug development effort now that uses university IP is paying royalties for that IP back to the Uni. Nothing's free anymore.
You are aware, of course, that the majority of the costs of the new drug development are in the clinical trials, not the actual compound discovery. And that those clinical trials are very much paid for by the Pharmas, and the people making the money are the doctors & teaching hospitals that are involved in the studies. So when you want to see the proceeds of the pittiance in basic research your taxpayer dollars paid for, please drive by your nearest University Hospital, and admire that beatiful new glass facade they just installed, and the Porche's in the Doctor's parking lot. That's where a very, very large portion of that drug bill you paid went.
1984 was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.
I need a place to live. The government has decided that you must give me your house because I need it more than you do. Nice to see humanity win one, eh?
"While I agree with the overall point your post makes, I'd like to tell you that Brazil has an outstanding AIDS policy, one that has been praised by the WHO (called OMS here - Organização Mundial de Saúde) and copied by numerous other countries."
/., where praise saves lives and going after the religious right from left field ups moderation.
Blah blah blah. US sucks, Brazil is great. Your reasons? Because this is
Except Brazil has a higher per capita infection rate than the US, whether looking at the overall population or at children. And of these two countries, while far under the per capita average worldwide, isn't even close to the infection rate of countries like, say, Japan.
That and now they've tipped their cards to drug companies. I hate big pharma usually, but Merck is one of the companies that works with nations (see onchoceriasis with African countries; Thailand HIV same drug) and wasn't going to be low-balled. Fact is, in the long run, this is going to screw their citizens more, as Merck and any other company that might do business there is going to quietly play with the prices of other drugs to make up for the profit loss instead handling their business upfront.
YOU have tha ability to take out loans, sell your house and car, buy cheeper ones etc... alot of people dont... people who rent and already ride a bike to work, people who dont have healthcare and litteraly live week to week pay check to pay check, who dont have the blessing of our goverment that would rather have the drug now, for a REASONABLE price, if you look at the math i provided a few comments up, you'll see that the drug company is asking WAY too much money for this medicin, there asking what ammounts to well OVER 1.8 Billion a year in profit alone! (thats after you account for materials and manafacturing!) even the most outlandish estimates ive seen here on /. of how much it costs to develope a drug (usually around 1 Billion, and no source or proof provided) Would be recouped within the first year by the company.... Drug patents are lasting on adverage 10+ YEARS.... thats 900% profit or MORE! so yes, while i would want companys to continue research, i would like them to do it at a REASONABLE price.... and to those of you who claim it costs more than 1 Billion to develope a drug... i want sources.... break downs of salaries, R&D costs, and why it would cost so much, i do understand theres money involved, but 1 Billion is a tad high for me to beleave.... I've provided links to all my sourced in every argument ive made, if you want to rebut it, please do the same, and not post wild guesses and unsubstanciated facts....
Noone writes jokes in base 13!
Such a split can only come through horribly twisted perceptions. Capitalism is the only economic system compatible with individual rights, without which 'humanity' is just a whim of the state.
Jesus is coming -- look busy!
So - you seem to be perfectly happy to live in a country that routinely tramples over the rights of individuals to the point where you have health "epidemics", and then you are fine with the same government tactic of stealing other people's property to help the problems created by your own government. Could you be any more of an apologist?
Mine is Good